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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for use in exterminating pests, and more particularly to a spill resistant insect bait station adapted for refillable containment of a liquid, gel, or granular attractant and/or toxicant for exterminating insect pests.
2. Description of the Background Art
Human populations have long encountered problems co-existing with various insects, particularly ants. There are more than ten thousand species of ants, a number of which infest structures, lawns, parks, and other areas frequented by humans. The various species of ants vary widely in many respects including size, color, shape, distribution, food preference, and nest locations. A particularly problematic species of ant is the fire ant. Fire ant colonies have become prevalent throughout the southeastern United States and pose a serious problem. The presence of fire ant colonies in lawns, parks, and other areas populated and/or routinely used by humans is a nuisance and a hazard due to the fire ant""s painful sting, coupled with its tendency to attack in numbers. In addition, other species of ants routinely disrupt activities in homes, offices, and parks. As a result, controlling insect populations is therefore necessary.
A primary means of pest control involves the use of toxicants, particularly liquid poison. The spraying of liquid poison is a common method of pest control. Spraying liquid poison, however, involves a number of inherent disadvantages. A primary disadvantage involves the risk of exposing humans to the toxic chemical formulations. Furthermore, spraying poison is often harmful to the environment and often causes damage to vegetation and other animal species in addition to the targeted pest population. In addition, liquid poison that has been applied by spraying often degrades over time and/or is washed away by rain or irrigation water thereby reducing effectiveness and requiring repeated treatment and/or the use of greater quantities.
For these and other reasons it has been found preferable to contain liquid or gel toxicants in bait stations, which stations provide structures that contain the poison while providing access to insects.
The background art reveals a number of attempts directed to pest control.
The following patents provide examples of these attempts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,093, issued to Gentile, discloses a feeding station for vermin that allows for ingress of the vermin to feed on poisoned bait held at a central portion therein. The bait is contained within a central well and ingress is facilitated by an inclined ramp leading to the chamber. A cover is joined to the top of the base member to cover the central well holding the poisoned bait.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,823,506 and 4,841,669, issued to Demarest et al., each disclose an insect bait device for exterminating crawling insects. The devices comprise first and second housing portions joinable to form a housing that defines generally unobstructed entry into the device by an insect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,761, also issued to Demarest et al., discloses a bait station including a base defining a bait-cup and a cover fastened to the base. The cover and base cooperate to form a door and walkway to admit targeted insects to enter the bait station thus gaining access to the bait cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,033, issued to Wefler, discloses a liquid delivery bait station having two reservoirs and fluid transfer systems to allow sequential delivery of two liquids. The liquids are preferably an insect attractant that is first delivered into an absorbent feeding pad and an insect toxicant that is next delivered to the absorbent pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,026, issued to Pearce et al., discloses an insect bait station for attracting and killing insects that comprises a substantially flat configuration with insecticide formulated as a solid coating on the surface of a sheet of moisture free material, and one or more breakable ampoules containing an attractant composition. The ampoules are held in a compressible portion of the housing permitting them to be manually broken to discharge their contents on command thereby releasing attractant vapors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,586, issued to Ballard et al., discloses a refillable liquid bait station formed to allow access by insects, but not by larger animals. The bait station includes a transparent housing that protects the liquid bait from wind and rain and which further prevents leakage if the bait station is tumbled and/or placed in an incorrect position by use of a series of inner walls and chambers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,816, issued to Hyatt et al., discloses an insect bait station for delivering a liquid toxicant. The bait station includes a reservoir, a feeding disk with capillary feeding pores, and a base that seals the feeding pores when configured in a closed position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,854, also issued to Hyatt, discloses a spill resistant granular bait station having a tunnel entrance leading to an interior bridged member having an inner wall leading from the bottom surface to an inner surface having an access opening in the bridge member leading to a bait source contained within the station. A cover defines a recessed portion thereon closely cooperating with the access opening in the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,542, issued to Payton et al., discloses a spill-resistant liquid bait station for dispensing liquid bait. The liquid bait is contained in a reservoir at the bottom of the bait station base and a lid is secured over the end of the base. The interior of the bait station is configured for containing the liquid bait if the bait station is inverted. Insects enter the bait station through one or more access ports and then travel through an interior passageway to the liquid bait.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,259, issued to Soller, discloses an insect bait-and-switch liquid delivery apparatus for the control of insects. The apparatus includes a reservoir defining a first chamber containing a liquid attractant and a second chamber containing a liquid toxicant. A first feeding station is provided in the first chamber and a second feeding station is provided in the second chamber. A passageway connects the first and second chambers, and an access port is disposed to initially prevent or limit access of an insect to the second feeding station during an initial feeding period and the subsequently enable access to the second feeding station via the passageway after the initial feeding period.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,933, issued to Woodruff, discloses a bait station for delivery of liquid insecticide formed from a base having at least one feeding station and a reservoir for storing liquid beneath the base. The insecticide is transferred by capillary action from the reservoir to the feeding station via a connecting tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,384, issued to Dickson et al., discloses an insect bait station having a continuous outer wall leading from a base to an upper annular surface having a central axial recessed opening therein leading down to a bait source contained in the interior of the station. The interior of the station defines an inverted conical concave part for concentrating the bait to the lowest point of the cone in proximity with an opening in the bottom of the central axial recessed opening.
Many of the prior art bait stations are not suitable for use with liquid insecticide and thus possess significant limitations. Those bait stations that claim to be suitable for use with liquid insecticides are burdened with a number of inherent disadvantages, including overly complex and inefficient structures, and generally fail to disclose an effective bait station that is both spill-resistant while remaining easily refillable.
The present invention provides an insect bait station particularly adapted for use with liquid, gel, or granular insecticides. The insect bait station of the present invention is highly spill resistant and easily refillable, and is effective in both vertical and horizontal configurations. An insect bait station according to the present invention consists of a housing having an open end, a closed end, and a removable end cap assembly adapted for removable engagement with said open end. The housing further includes an internal, axially aligned hollow tubular structure having a first end connected to the housing base in surrounding relation with an axial aperture formed in the base, and a second end aligned for termination coextensive with the open end of the housing. The end cap includes an axially projecting hollow shaft, sized for insertion within the tubular structure. The shaft has a first end connected to the end cap in surrounding relation with an axial aperture formed therein, and a second end adapted for locking inserted engagement with the end plate aperture. The housing interior functions as a reservoir for liquid, gel, or granular bait formulations, such as attractants and toxicants. The axial apertures formed in the housing ends provide insects with access to the interior of the housing through a series of openings defined in the walls of the respective tube and shaft structures. A spiral baffle projects radially outward from the shaft for sealing engagement with the inner wall of the tubular structure to prevent spillage of liquid bait, while defining a passage for insects leading to the liquid bait. A series of offset openings in the shaft and tube walls provide access to the housing interior. Insects enter the bait station through either one of the apertures formed in the housing ends and, by following passages defined within the station, are able to access and hence become exposed to the bait contained therein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved insect bait station.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a spill resistant liquid insect bait station.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insect bait station that is not dangerous to children or pets.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a spill resistant liquid insect bait station that is effective in both horizontal and vertical configurations.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an insect bait station that is easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a liquid insect bait station that includes means for guiding insects toward the bait while preventing liquid bait from spilling from the station regardless of the orientation or tumbling of the station.